Dakota Johnson is Vogue‘s new cover girl, sporting a new cut with side-swept bangs (wig?) and wearing Proenza Schouler. The actress, who was shot by Patrick Demarchelier and styled by Camilla Nickerson, talks to writer Rob Haskell about the upcoming Fifty Shades Darker—and yes, that means she’s talking about sex. But Johnson also dishes on fame, building her career on her own terms, and those pesky rumors that she and co-star Jamie Dornan hate each other in real life. Fifty Shades Freed, the third installment in E.L. James saucy trilogy, is already in post-production according to IMDB…at which point, upon its release, we imagine Johnson will finally be freed from having to discuss sex in every interview. Until then, read on for more commentary on BDSM!
On her newfound appreciation for her character Ana’s sexual inclinations…
“First of all, there are some very chic avenues in BDSM. It can be very beautiful and tasteful, and the materials can be luxurious. It’s not like being on Hollywood Boulevard and walking by a ball-gag store. But what I admire is the bravery and the honesty of people who get down with it, who aren’t afraid to say that they need something a bit more in order to get off. America is still so sexually oppressed. Isn’t God’s gift to humans the orgasm?”
On nudity…
“Nudity is really interesting for an actor. Jamie and I worked so incredibly closely for so long. There were no inhibitions, and it was very honest, very trusting. But I mean, what a gamble! What if he had turned out to be a total dick? There’s no makeup. There are no clothes to tell you a bit about the story. There’s no jewelry to give you a clue about social status. So it becomes purely about the performance. Will I stop doing nude scenes when my boobs start sagging? I don’t know. Maybe I have more of a European mind-set about these things. I don’t want to see someone wearing a bra and underwear in a sex scene. Let’s be honest about it. People are naked when they f**k.”
On those Jamie Dornan rumors…
“We hate each other and we’re having an affair, so everybody’s right. How about that?”
On her unconventional childhood (she started therapy at 3 and cannot count the number of schools she attended as she often accompanied her parents on location for filming)…
“I was so consistently unmoored and discombobulated. I didn’t have an anchor anywhere. I never learned how to learn the way you’re supposed to as a kid. I thought, Why do I have to go to school on time? What’s the point when you’re living in Budapest for six months while your stepdad films Evita and you go to school in your hotel room? I was a disaster, and I thought for so long that there was something wrong with my brain. Now I realize that it just works in a different way.”
